SAN DIEGO -- Karleyne Ishima-Oien wiped sweat off her forehead while teammate Lacey Smyth relaxed, munching on a snack Thursday.

Smyth watched Ishima-Oien fight through a competitive set in the San Marcos girls tennis team 13-5 Valley League loss to host Mt. Carmel. It's not often Ishima-Oien and Smyth are involved in long sets.

The Knights' No.1 and 2 singles players usually cruise through competition. Not this time. Not against the Sundevils (14-3, 11-0), who are undefeated in league play.

At least that was the case for Ishima-Oien, a junior.

She battled Mt. Carmel's No.2 player, Bella Genkina, in a 6-2 loss in the first set that lasted more than an hour.

Ishima-Oien went on to win her second and third sets, the latter against Lamella Belgica in a 7-5 set that had most members of both teams watching after they were done for the day.

”The last girl I played, she was real consistent, steady,” said Ishima-Oien, a junior with a 39-6 record. “She waited for me to make the error. I just had to stay patient. “I felt myself a little slow though. I wasn't on my game.” The contrary could be said of Smyth, who remained undefeated for the Knights (11-6, 7-4) with a 39-0 record.

The Knights' standout junior swept through her first two sets and won her third via forfeit.

Genkina couldn't go a third set. She was hindered by pain in her right wrist. ”It's just been bothering me lately,” said Genkina, a sophomore. “I didn't think I could go. It would have been a good challenge.”

Smyth was anticipating having to face Genkina and the Sundevils' top player Sabi Leon-Chao.

But injuries kept San Marcos' elite player from facing steady competition. ”I was looking forward to having a good practice and play some good players,” said Smyth, who beat Leon-Chao (6-1) and Genkina (6-4) Sept. 30 in a match that Mt. Carmel won, 11-7. “It's unfortunate they couldn't play.”

Mt. Carmel junior varsity coach Jim Wrage, who filled in for varsity coach Jim Valenzuela, said Leon-Chao was slowed by a lingering hamstring injury. That prompted the change in the lineup, keeping the Sundevils'standout out of singles competition. Instead, Leon-Chao teamed up with Karen Torico to make up Mt. Carmel's No. 3 doubles team.

That paid off for the Sundevils, who swept the doubles competition, winning all nine sets convincingly. Mt. Carmel finished with a 54-12 advantage in doubles games.

”I think it's a psychological thing,”San Marcos coach Paul Hartman said. “These girls see a No. 1 singles player playing doubles and they start thinking they can't compete.”

Not Ishima-Oien.

”I like to play against so many different people, different levels of play,” Ishima-Oien said. “We come across some pretty good players, like these guys.”

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